Milan Lucic enters NHLPA Player Assistance Program

UPDATE: Lucic has entered the NHL and NHLPA's Player Assistance Program, formerly called the NHLPA Substance Abuse & Behavioral Health Program.

Read below for our earlier report on Lucic who was in a Boston court earlier today.

In case you missed the news this past weekend, Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was arrested by Boston Police after his wife Brittany Lucic called 911 to report that he "attempted to choke her".

Officers arrived to find an intoxicated Lucic who was "cooperative" with police when they informed him that he was being arrested on domestic violence charges. Police reports obtained by The Boston Globe indicate that Lucic began yelling at his wife and accusing her of hiding his phone after he couldn't locate it following a night out. Police observed that there was redness on Brittany's check and neck, which they have interpreted as evidence that Lucic tried to strangle his wife.

Lucic has subsequently been suspended from the Bruins and will take an indefinite leave of absence from the team.

This morning Lucic was in Boston court to answer to charges of assault and battery on a family member, which carries a maximum penalty of two and a half years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Aside from a quiet, 'Good morning' to the presiding Judge, Lucic didn't have much to say during the hearing. He pleaded 'Not Guilty' to the charges and was released on his own recognizance (without bail). He was ordered to not to abuse his wife (duh) and to not consume alcohol.

Maybe I'm just ignorant of how the legal process plays out, but aren't we all ordered not to abuse others at all times? I digress...

You have to really wonder if this is beginning of the end for Lucic. The 35 year old signed a one year deal with the Bruins this past offseason, thought by many to be the final destination of his long NHL career. The news of his arrest may just help speed up the retirement that he surely had planned for the 2024 NHL offseason. For Lucic, his offseason and his NHL retirement likely started the moment he put his hands on his wife.

Obviously my concern at this moment is for Mrs. Lucic and the couple's two daughters. At the same time, I also can't help but think just how badly Lucic has tarnished his legacy as a result of this mess. He was a Stanley Cup champion and a crowd favorite in Boston, now he'll go down in history as a drunken wife beater.